Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Walkthrough

Tips, Character Moves, and Weapons

Tips

There are several skills you will have to learn to become good at.
You need to learn the running double jump (run, jump, and jump again in
mid-air). This skill is vital to getting onto overhead vines and ropes,
and jumping onto platforms and pillars. You can't get through the game
without learning this skill. Practice it whenever you get the chance.

When vine/rope jumping, you'll know you've succeeded because you'll be
hanging off the vine or rope. It's all about timing, and at what point your
foot left the ground. If you hang off the rope for a split second, but then
flipped over it, it means jumped one too many times. Next time try using the
jump key one less time.

You will also need to become good with your saber. There are times when
regular weapons won't do. Learn the overhead saber move, the twirling
saber move, and the jump and slash technique. Read your manual for more
information. You can also reflect enemy blaster shots off your saber and back
towards them. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan move slightly different with their saber moves.
Obi-Wan, being the younger of the two, has more athletic flair.

Don't forget that you can roll and hop depending on what character
you're playing. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan can dodge blaster fire by rolling left or
right. Captain Panaka and Queen Amidala can hop from side to side. This is a useful
tactic to employ when taking on a group of enemies.

Force push is a convenient weapon sometimes, as it can temporarily stun
an enemy (but not for very long). Try using it when you have the chance. It's
also handy because you can push enemies off platforms. However, you can't
force push enemies unless they are on the same "level" as you. This means that
if an enemy is on top of the stairs, you can't push him when you're at the
bottom. Force push can also sometimes kill enemies if you use it on them several
times. Experiment. And don't forget there's a force push meter measuring the
amount of "force power" you have. Using force push will temporarily deplete it,
but it will quickly rise again.

If your gameplay is slow during battles, try turning off some of your
performance options. The game may not look quite as pretty, but you'll
be able to move around and fight more quickly. I'm at the minimum requirements
for the game, and gameplay was a bit slow during battles with groups of droids.
I found that I was able to kill more efficiently when the performance options
were set to low.

When you are protecting a character, make sure you don't stray too far
from them. Enemies can show up and try to take them out while you're off
scouting ahead. Sometimes when you cross an "invisible line", the game will
say that the protected character has died, even if there are no enemies around
him or her. This is the game's way of telling you that you are not to go
into this new area without that character following behind you.

On the levels where you protect a character, there are certain checkpoints in
the game where they will automatically stop. They are relatively "safe" at these
points if you've cleared the area of enemies. You should always talk to
the person when he or she stops because you may have something to say, such as
"wait" or "follow me." Or they may have something to tell you.

Destroyer droids (the droids that roll around and have personal shields)
are a pain in the butt. They have a distinct sound, so you know when one
is in the area. The most effective way of killing them is using a couple
of proton missiles on them. They are most vulnerable when they are rolling
around or right after they stop, because they don't have their shields up.
Try to get the first shot in before they get their shield up. If you can get
in any blaster shots or saber thrusts while they are rolling or right after
they stop, then all the better for you!

Sometimes a non-player character you're travelling with can provide cover
fire for you. They can take out destroyer droids or battle droids for you,
or help you in your battles. You may occasionally run into a soldier or two
that will help fight your battles. Keep your eyes and ears open, and observe.
But if they start ducking down or screaming, it usually means they need help.

If you come upon a heavy repeating cannon in the game that you can use,
that usually means that there are destroyer droids and a big group of battle
droids coming your way. Definitely make use of this wicked weapon.

If you see a battle tank, avoid it at all costs. You can sometimes
take them out, but not without wasting a lot of weapons, ammo, and time. It
is not necessary to take them out to finish a level. In other words, don't
try unless you want to show off. You should preserve the big ammo for the
destroyer droids (which you can't always run away from) and the boss monsters.
Run away from the battle tanks or do what you need to in order to get around
it as quickly as possible.

One thing I can't say often enough is SAVE YOUR GAME OFTEN! A good time
to save is at the start of every level. This is an action game, and you will probably
die quite a few times until you've learned a strategy for a particular area. You
are given quite a few (approximately 100) save game slots, so don't waste all that
extra empty space. You will save yourself a lot of time and frustration if you
have several previous save games you can load up where you had more health or you
did something a little differently. If you die in a certain spot several times,
eventually you learn how many enemies are in an area and how they move. Then when
you load up a save game, you may finally have learned how to beat that enemy. And
don't forget to save your game before and after you fight a big boss monster. Whatever
you do, don't save and resave over one game repeatedly. The quicksave option is
fine, but you should periodically create normal save games several times throughout
the level.

Character Moves

The following is a list of some saber moves that both Qui-Gon
and Obi-Wan can use. Try
practicing them when there are no enemies around. TAP means quickly tapping the keyboard.
PRESS describes how you would normally press a key on the keyboard (you hold it down slightly
longer than you would for tap). To HOLD a key means that you are pressing the key
continuously and not releasing it. A few of the moves (such as forward slash and running
forward slash) may seem sort of redundant. The twirling saber move and the jumping spin
attack are pretty fun. The Cirle Jerk is effective when you're trapped in a corner or
being gang banged (surrounded) by a group of droids. It's similar to the slash and spin
saber moves, except you are stationary. Experiment with other moves.

Move

Controls

Normal Slash

PRESS attack key

Overhead slash

TAP attack key

Forward slash

HOLD forward key + PRESS attack key

Reatreat slash

HOLD back key + PRESS attack key

Slash combo

HOLD attack key

Overhead slash combo

TAP attack key, then HOLD attack key

Forward stepping combo

HOLD forward key + HOLD attack key

Twirling saber combo

HOLD forward key, TAP attack key, then HOLD attack key

Retreating slash combo

HOLD back key + HOLD attack key

Running slash

Run forward + PRESS attack key

Running double slash

Run forward + PRESS attack key

Running overhead slash

Run + TAP attack key, release forward key before next attack

Running forward slash

Run forward + HOLD attack key

Jumping attack

Jump, then PRESS attack key

Jumping spin attack

Jump, then HOLD attack key

Circle Jerk

HOLD attack key + HOLD left or right movement key

Captain Panaka has a couple of special martial arts moves
that he (and you) can use when you have no weapons. Or you can just have fun with it even
if you do have some weapons. It's obviously only useful in close combat situations.

Move

Controls

Punch

PRESS attack key

Running punch

Run and PRESS attack key

Punch-Kick Combo

HOLD attack key

Roundhouse Punch-Kick

HOLD forward key + HOLD attack key

Weapons

Weapon

Description

Lightsaber

There's just something about wielding a glowing hot, big killing stick that empowers both
genders. For men, it's for egotistic reasons, and for women (or at least me), it's sadistic.
It's a weapon that can put a maniacal grin on an angel's face. In any case, this is as close
to becoming a Jedi as any of us will ever get. It's an all around useful weapon in both
offense and defense. You can deflect laser blasts with your saber. And it goes without saying
that you can use it to kill. It can also cut through some objects. The lightsaber can
only be used by Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

Blaster Rifle

The blaster is an average weapon and each powerup you find comes with 250 shots. It
shoots comparatively slow. It's a standard issue weapon for battle droids. But in
a pinch, there's nothing like a good blaster at your side, kid.

Light Repeating Blaster

This is an automatic version of the normal blaster. Powerups come with 300 shots. It's
a better weapon than the blaster, but you still have to aim right if you don't want to
waste shots.

Gungan Energy Ball

You can only find this weapon on Levels 2 and 3. It is an explosive energy ball that
can be used to temporarily stun enemies. It can also short out some machinery.

Proton Missile Launcher

This weapon has miniature proton warheads. Each powerup comes with 5 shells. It is the
best weapon to use to defeat those pesky destroyer droids. It's great to see in action!
It can also do a great deal of damage to machinery. While this weapon is excellent in
taking out a group of droids, try to save most of your missiles for the destroyers.

Thermal Detonator

Thermal detonators are powerful weapons. They destroy all matter within a 5-20 meter
radius. This means that when you use one, run like hell the other way. You can take
damage if you're not quick or far enough away. They are relatively rare in the game,
so when you find one, you might want to save it for a more opportune moment (use your
judgement).

Flash Grenade

Flash grenades are sort of a poor man's thermal detonator. They are designed primarily
to blind enemies, but it can also kill them. You have to aim it perfectly, so when you
toss it at an enemy it hits them. If you miss, you pretty much wasted a good flash grenade.
Flash grenades come in sets of 5.

Heavy Repeating Cannon

How can anyone not love this weapon? At least, you love it when you're not its target.
Usually you will have to commandeer the cannon by killing the droid operating it. And
when there's a cannon in sight, you can be damn sure that you're meant to use it, because
about 5 destroyers and 20 droids will be coming your way! To operate the cannon, get behind
it and press the spacebar (or your "use" key). You have to align youself just perfectly or
it won't work. Remember that you're moving the back of the cannon. This means that
if you want to aim up, you have to press the down key, and to aim down you have to press the
up key. Use your left and right keys as you normally would.

Naboo Blaster

This weapon is only used by Captain Panaka. It's similar to the blaster rifle. There's
absolutely nothing special about it, except that it's useful when you have nothing else
left.

R-65 Heavy Blaster

This weapon is only used by Captain Panaka. Powerups come with 100 shots. This weapon is
awesome! It shoots twin energy bolts that can bounce off walls and other solid objects. In
close quarters, this is fun to see. It's also an important weapon in defeating the
Coruscant Mercenary on Level 9. The energy bolts can pierce through the Merc's armor,
whereas regular blaster shots won't.

Droid Stunner

This is the wimpiest weapon in the game. It has no powerups. It will emit an energy
pulse that can temporarily stun almost any enemy. It's a weapon that only Queen Amidala
can use (no one else would want to). Even fists are better than using this baby's toy.
It is a close combat weapon with a limited range (one or two feet). This weapon is mostly
ineffective because the Queen will get her butt kicked while she's trying to run up to
the droid to use the damn thing. It's mostly useful for sneaking up behind a droid and
suprising it. It can kill some droids (short out their circuitry), but with others it
will just stun them temporarily.